From the Book, Rules For Life: According To Jesus

18. Do Not Be Judgmental 

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

Matthew 7:1-5

Man, oh man! How difficult is this pill to swallow? 

It’s so very easy to see the faults and shortcomings of others, but seeing our own is terribly difficult. We need to work doubly hard on this command, more than most of the others. 

That old adage, “when you point a finger, you have three more pointing back at you” is true in a couple of ways: 

1. If you have four fingers on your hand, when you point the index finger straight out, the other three are folded back and are pointing toward yourself. 
2. No matter who you are, when you find fault in someone else, they will be able to find fault in you (and when they start to dig, they’ll find even more!). 

Jesus’ command is to just keep it to yourself and not cast judgment on those in your life. In fact, it goes beyond just holding your tongue (or pen, or text, or social media) and keep your heart from feeling it in the first place. (Remember how these are all about the heart?)

When I am in my right mind (once in a while), and I have a problem with someone around me, I find that I am best served if I focus on my own faults rather than focus on whatever is bugging me about someone else. I believe that this is the key to living out this command. But then, that’s exactly what Jesus said, isn’t’ it? First take care of your own issue (whatever it may be), then help the other person with their issue. 

Once we have cleared our own conscience, we are better equipped to help someone else clear their conscience. 

And never, ever, try to “fix” someone who needs to accept the Lord’s salvation.  Probably the biggest complaint that I hear (and rightly so) is that Christians try to get those who are not saved to act a certain way or live up to the level we see in this study. This is not the way to reach out to anyone with the Gospel. It is exactly how to push them away from it! I know this from personal experience and from having frank, honest conversations with unsaved friends. (You can also read it in a myriad of secular books, too.)

When sharing the Gospel, let the hearer know that you are no more righteous than they are (of your own accord). Let them know that Jesus is the One Who made you right with God (and He alone).

True faith takes us out of the judgmental mind and into a loving, caring, patient, and gentle state of mind. That’s what this command is for. It heals, rather than tears down. 

Previous – Store Up Treasures In Heaven | Next – Guard what is Sacred

Sections in this study:
Introduction
1: Repent
2: Be Born Again
3: Place God First
4: Love and Serve One Another
5: Live By Faith
6: Forgive Others
7: Remain in Jesus
8: Live Righteously Before Men
9: Avoid Bad Influences
10: Stay On The Narrow Path
11: Do Not Return Evil With Evil
12: Give More Than Is Demanded
13: Love Your Enemies
14: Check Your Motives
15: Pray Simply
16: Do Not Worry
17: Store Up Treasures In Heaven
18: Do Not Be Judgmental
19: Guard what is Sacred
20: Care For Those In Distress
21: Do Not Swear Oaths
22: Watch out for false prophets
23: Exercise Spiritual Power
24: Have Childlike Faith
25: Do Not Exalt Yourself
26: Settle Disputes Quickly
27: Settle Disputes Between Believers
28: Do not Oppose Brethren
29: Remember Me
30: Be Merciful
31: Make Disciples
32: Be Ready
33: Obey Jesus’ Commands
Closing Comments